A laptop caught fire on an American Airlines flight on Friday, Aug. 21, with one passenger treated after the plane landed in Dallas-Fort Worth.
American Airlines flight 2398, an Airbus A321 that departed from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta about 5:30 p.m. ET Friday, landed safely at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at about 8 p.m. ET "after reports of smoke from a customer’s device during landing," American Airlines said in a statement to USA TODAY.
One passenger received medical attention on site and was released, the airline said. The flight, which had 133 passengers, landed safely and was met by emergency personnel upon arrival at the gate, according to American Airlines.
risks, FAA tells airlines
There were concerns that more passengers were injured by the reported fire in the cabin, the pilot told air traffic controllers. "I think we have four to five passengers that were burned by the laptop," the pilot told air traffic controllers, according to audio on LiveATC.net. "The laptop is contained about mid-aircraft."
"We thank our crew for their professionalism and swift response to quickly contain the device," the airline said.
Through July 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration has recorded 55 lithium battery incidents involving passengers during flights, with another three involving lithium batteries in cargo.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Laptop fire on American Airlines flight leads to landing drama
